Catherine Howard

Relationship between Drug Use and Other Problem Behaviors in Urban Adolescents.

This study tested the generality of Jessor and Jessors (1977) problem behavior theory, which states that a variety of problem behaviors constitute a behavioral syndrome in normal adolescents. Relationships among 5 adolescent problem behaviors (cigarette use, alcohol use, marijuana use, delinquency, and sexual intercourse) were examined in 7th-grade boys (n = 556) and girls (n = 715), and 9th-grade boys (n = 481) and girls (n = 485) in an urban school system in which the majority of students were African American and from low-income families. Measures of problem behavior frequency were positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with several measures of conventional behavior. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated findings of previous studies that a single common factor underlies adolescent problem behaviors.

Risk factors for drug use in urban adolescents: Identification and cross-validation

Examined the relationship between 26 dichotomous risk factors and drug use in derivation (N = 1,352) and cross-validation (N = 1,309) samples of seventh graders in the public school system of a large southeastern city. The majority of students was African American, many came from low-income, single parent families. A total of 20 risk factors representing a variety of variables was significantly related to at least one category of drug use in both samples. Regression analyses identified a subset of 11 risk factors with minimum overlap. The simple sum of these 11 risk factors was significantly associated with prevalence of use for cigarettes, beer and wine, hard liquor, marijuana, and other drugs. The total number of risk factors also showed a curvilinear relationship with the frequency of 30-day use for each category of drug. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Evaluation of data screening methods in surveys of adolescents' drug use

This study evaluated methods to identify adolescents who inaccurately report drug use in school surveys. Two samples of seventh graders (N=2,710) completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of drug use. Subjects classified as random responders, subjects with a relatively large number of inconsistent responses, and subjects who reported using a fictitious drug all reported higher rates of drug use than did other subjects. For random responders and fictitious drug users, the rate of reported drug use was inconsistent with other subject data. Implications of these findings for the use of exclusionary criteria in surveys of adolescent drug use are discussed

Risk Factors for Drug Use in Rural Adolescents

This study tested the relevance of a risk factor model for predicting drug use among rural adolescents. A questionnaire battery assessing drug use and the presence/absence of twenty risk factors derived from a previous study of urban adolescents was administered to a sample of seventh graders (N = 235) in the public school system of a rural community. All but one of these risk factors were found to be significantly related to at least one category of drug use. In addition, a risk factor index based on a subset of ten risk factors was significantly associated with the prevalence and frequency of use for cigarettes, beer and wine, hard liquor, marijuana, and other drugs. These findings support the generalizability of a risk factor approach to predicting drug use, and underscore the need for increased prevention and research efforts directed at rural adolescents.

Incorporating Community Engagement Language into Promotion and Tenure Policies: One University's Journey

This case study describes the campus context and process for successfully including community engagement language into promotion and tenure policies at Virginia Commonwealth University, a high research, urban public university. The paper also describes barriers our campus faced during the promotion and tenure policy revision process, especially myths that emerged surrounding communityengaged work in the academy. We describe key supports that facilitated a successful process, including the important champions who played roles on our campus.

The University Next Door: Developing a Centralized Unit that Strategically Cultivates Community Engagement at an Urban University

Using Kotter’s model of change as a framework, this case study will describe the structure and efforts of a centralized unit within an urban, research university to deepen and extend the institutionalization of community engagement. The change model will be described along with details about the implemented strategies and practices that fall within each of the eight steps. The paper concludes with reflections and future efforts.